


Going to the Ball

by JDKoopa



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, First Dance, Fluff, Hints of Ashegrid, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), scheming Sylvain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24218620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDKoopa/pseuds/JDKoopa
Summary: The Academy ball is coming up, and the students are all preparing for it. Felix and Annette realize they should probably learn how to dance.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	Going to the Ball

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first really long fic being posted, and it's also my 50th posted fic so I'm pretty happy about it. Spent a long time on it and I think it came out really nicely.
> 
> Thanks Kroissant for being my beta reader!

_Knock knock knock_

Felix looked at the door for a moment before sighing and standing from his desk. “Coming.” He approached the door and opened it to find himself face to face with Ingrid Brandl Galatea.

“Hello, Felix. I'm glad I came after you already finished your training for the day.” Ingrid smiled at Felix. “May I come in?”

“Close the door behind you.” Felix turned his back to Ingrid and returned to his desk to finish working on the day's class assignment. “I assume you have a good reason for this visit.”

Ingrid grinned. “I do. As you know, the ball is coming up later this month. I was hoping you might accompany me.” 

Felix looked up from his notes to see if Ingrid was joking. Certainly she didn’t expect him to say yes to this idea. However, when he met her eyes, he could tell she was serious. “Listen, I know I told you to get a husband last time we spoke. I admit, that may have been out of line, even for me. However, I wasn’t talking about myself.” 

Ingrid blushed and folded her hands in front of her. “I mean nothing romantic by it, I simply thought it might be a good way to overcome the tension that has grown between us,” She explained, “We used to be close, and I would like to work toward that again despite the friction of our last conversation.” Felix saw annoyance flicker in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with that sincere look he had grown accustomed to.

Felix turned away from his work to face Ingrid. “I have no interest in going to the ball. I would rather spend my time training.” He held up a hand when Ingrid opened her mouth to interrupt. “I am, however, willing to accompany you for part of the evening, for Glenn’s sake, and as my way of apologizing for my behavior earlier.”

Ingrid nodded, smiling. “Thank you, Felix. I look forward to spending some time with you like we used to. I’ll let you get back to working.” 

Ingrid turned and opened Felix’s door. Before she left, she muttered another quiet “thank you” that Felix almost didn’t hear. As Ingrid's footsteps echoed down the hall, Felix returned to his assignment.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Annette! I was hoping to find you here.” Annette looked up from her book to see Ashe smiling as he walked toward her table. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Annette grinned, closing her book. “Not at all!” She chirped, “I was just looking over some notes about how as we grow more accustomed to the magic essence inside of us we learn how to control it in new ways. It’s this fascinating theory about how genetics mix with experience to determine what kind of magic a person is proficient with!” 

Ashe’s smile wavered, and his eyes became more nervous. “Right… That’s uh, cool!” He replied, “Not sure if I I entirely understand what that means, but it sounds interesting at least.”

“Oh, of course.” Annette slid a piece of paper she had been drawing on into the book to mark her place before closing it to show Ashe that he had her attention. "Sorry, I just get excited about this stuff. Were you looking for me?”

“Oh, yes!” Ashe squeaked, earning a light giggle from his short friend. Ashe blushed and looked down, tracing circles on the table’s surface with his fingers. “The grand ball is next week, and I know you’re probably going with Mercedes, but I was wondering if you, uh… Might want to go with me instead?” 

Annette beamed. “Oh sure! So you want to take me as your date?” 

Ashe blushed deeper. “O-oh no, I meant as friends,” He stuttered, shuffling his feet. "Sorry, I should have been more clear. It’s not that I don’t like you though! I just have romantic feelings for someone else, but I don’t know if I should act on them.” Ashe’s face turned even brighter than it was a second before.

Annette laughed, “Oh I understand. You want to make her jealous? Alright, I’ll do it! But I’m not kissing you unless it turns into a real date.” She winked at Ashe, finally making him laugh. His shoulders relaxed as he locked his eyes with Annette.

“Thank you! I don’t think there will be much ‘making her jealous’ but it will be nice to be there with a friend. We can talk tomorrow about what we’ll wear!” 

“Okey-dokey! I’m looking forward to it Ashe!” They smiled at each other, then Ashe turned to leave.

“I’m going to do some studying of my own, enjoy your book!” As he walked away, Annette started planning what they should wear as she thought about who it could be that Ashe had romantic feelings for.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Felix! You want to go hit the town tonight?” Felix withheld the urge to turn his blade on Sylvain as his friend interrupted his training for the third time that day.

“I believe I told you that I would rather die a thousand deaths to a less capable swordsman than myself than waste my time chasing women with you.” Felix said through gritted teeth. He did, however, lower his blade and turn to face Sylvain.

“I’m not taking you to chase women this time. Mercedes told me that she heard from Hilda who learned from Claude who was talking to Petra who learned from-”

“Will you cut to the chase, Sylvain? You’re wasting enough of my time without this needless rambling.” Felix clenched his fist around the hilt of his weapon, wondering if lowering it was the right decision after all.

“I hear you’re going to the ball with Ingrid.” Felix wanted to punch that stupid grin off of his friend’s face. He had expected this to happen however, and had prepared his response.

“I will be attending the ball as Ingrid’s friend, yes. I will not be there for long. This is simply burying the hatchet between old friends. I suggest you don’t make more out of it than it is, unless you want us to find somewhere else to bury that hatchet.” Sylvain shrugged, then closed the distance between himself and Felix.

Sylvain picked up a nearby training lance and began to dance with it. “Alright, well even if it’s just as friends, she’ll be expecting you to dance. I know you think you’re light on your feet from all your sword practice, but dancing is delicate." He tried to twirl his lance but it escaped his grasp. He winced as it clattered noisily to the ground, then returned his focus to Felix. "Let me take you into town, I know someone who can teach you the basics.”

Felix scowled at Sylvain, but his friend appeared to be providing a genuine offer. Felix couldn’t deny that he had forgotten what little he had learned of dancing from his childhood tutors. After a moment, he growled "Fine."

Sylvain grinned, slapping a hand on his back. Felix glared in his direction, but the redhead had already stopped paying attention.

“We’ll leave after dinner, I already made the appointment,” Sylvain explained, “ Make sure you dress up a little bit too, you never know who you might run into there.” With that, Sylvain sauntered out of the training grounds, whistling a jolly tune. Felix finished training, then took a shower before joining the red-head in the mess hall.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Mercie! What am I supposed to do?” Annette was pacing in Mercedes’ room while her friend stood in the background, pleasantly entertained. “I don’t know how to dance, and I know he said it wasn’t romantic, but I’m so clumsy!” Annette complained, shaking her head. “ I don’t want to make him sit out all night because I have two left feet!” She huffed indignantly, plopping down on the bed.

Mercedes smiled, patting her friend on the head as she sat down next to her. “Relax, Annie. Why don’t we go find somewhere in town where you can learn to dance?” Annette looked at Mercedes, then let out a single laugh.

“It’s going to take a lot more than one dance lesson for me to learn how to dance, Mercie. Have you seen me try to walk and talk at the same time?” Annette moved so she was resting her head in Mercedes’ lap. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”

Mercedes hummed, stroking Annette’s hair with a motherly touch. “I actually went to town myself last week and found a place that helped me a lot in just one session. I think they could help you, too, but we would have to go after dinner tonight.”

Annette sprang up, eyes shimmering with excitement. “Really? Let’s get dinner then so we can go go go!” She cried, tackling Mercedes in a bear hug before rushing out the door. 

“Annie! Wait for me.” Mercedes laughed. She smoothed out her covers, then joined Annette, closing the door behind her as they walked to dinner.

____________________________________________________________________________

Felix tugged at the tight collar around his neck as Sylvain led him through town. The redhead had insisted that Felix dress up, so Felix was wearing one of the nicer dress shirts he had brought from home. Unfortunately, it was a little too tight.

"Alright, Felix. We're here." Sylvain gestured to the building in front of them. Through the window, Felix could see couples dancing together while a woman walked around inspecting them. 

“I’m not so sure about this. There are a lot of people.” Felix frowned at the window. The idea of making a fool of himself in front of so many people and on public display for anyone to see did not appeal to him. 

Sylvain chuckled and rested his arm on Felix’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I already asked her for a private room. You’ll have a partner, probably whoever comes in after you if they’re willing to do private practice, but it will just be the two of you and an instructor. And who knows, maybe you’ll hit it off?” Sylvain winked, then opened the door. Felix walked in, expecting Sylvain to follow, but when he turned around his friend was gone.

“That little-” He was cut off by a door opening behind him. 

“Hello, are you Felix Knight?” Felix gritted his teeth. Of course Sylvain would pull a stupid stunt like this.

“Fraldarius,” Felix corrects, “Felix Fraldarius. My idiot friend made me a reservation for a private room.” The woman behind the counter apologized for the misunderstanding, then led him through the door she had just come from.

“Here you are, Mr. Fraldarius. Your partner will be here soon, and our instructor will join you when both parties are ready.” When the door closed behind him, Felix sighed. How had he let Sylvain talk him into this? He should have just spent this time training.

Several minutes passed, and Felix was getting ready to leave when the door to his room finally opened again. “And here you are, miss Dominic. Your instructor will be in shortly, your partner is here if you’d like to introduce yourself.”

“Thanks! Sorry again about running into your door, I really thought it was a push door.” A young, redheaded girl walked into the room looking back at the receptionist. Felix recognized her from class, though he hadn’t interacted with her much outside of being yelled at when he heard her singing. 

Annette turned around with a big smile on her face. “Nice to meet you, I’m… Felix?” Her smile vanished, replaced by a look of annoyance. “What are you doing here? Why would you need to learn to dance?”

Felix wasn’t sure why, but his chest tightened at the insult. The heat must be too high, he would have to get that fixed. “Actually, you’re Annette. I’m Felix. And I’m here because I have to get ready for the ball, unfortunately. Sylvain told me I should come learn to dance.”

“You? You have a date?” Annette laughed, and Felix decided that when the instructor arrived he would demand a cooler room. “Who would go with you to the ball?”

“Ingrid.” Felix said nonchalantly. He didn’t have anything to prove, though it wasn’t technically a date. Still, there was no reason to clarify that. “What about you, are you going with anyone?” 

“I’m going with Ashe, since you’re asking. He asked me a couple days ago.” Felix resisted the urge to storm out right now and adjust the temperature himself. “As long as I can learn to dance today, I’ll be fine. Don’t ruin this for me.”

Felix was about to respond, but their instructor arrived before he could get any words out. “Hey, sorry I’m late. I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”

“I’m going to kill Sylvain later.” Felix muttered as Dorothea walked into the room. She set down her bag and clapped her hands, finally turning to face them. 

“So, who do we have- oh! Felix and Annette? I didn’t know you two were dating! Did you say something a moment ago Felix?” Dorothea smiled broadly at them, looking them over and silently assessing them. 

“We’re not dating.” Annette said too quickly. 

Felix glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her face was slightly more red than it had been when she arrived. Did she really hate him that much?

“Can we fix this damn heat before we get started?,” Felix snapped, breaking the silence. “It’s killing me.” 

“If it’s too hot, you can always just take off your shirt, I’m sure Annette wouldn’t mind.” Dorothea winked, but she left the room for a moment and Felix felt cold air start blowing into the room. Next to him, Annette’s face was bright red.

“Are you alright? Maybe you should sit down until the room is a little cooler.” Annette returned his concern with a glare.

“Ok, if there’s nothing else you need I’d like to get started. We’ll only have an hour to get you two ready for the ball!” Felix and Annette both looked at Dorothea with visible surprise. “The ball is in less than a week, what else would you be here for?” She said matter-of-factly.

“Whatever." Felix muttered "Let’s just do this.” Annette wouldn’t meet his eyes, but whenever Felix was looking away he thought her gaze shifted toward him. His mind must have been playing tricks on him.

“First, I want you to take the proper stance. Felix, take one of Annette’s hands in your own, and place your other hand on her waist.” Felix’s heart beat a little faster when he felt Annette’s cool hand in his. He moved his hand to her waist. In the back of his mind he wondered if the room’s air conditioner was working correctly, because he was still feeling pretty hot.

“Good! Now Annette, place your free hand on Felix’s shoulder. Perfect! This is the normal dance posture you would use with a friend or someone who asks you to dance. However, if you’d like to get a little more intimate…” Dorothea moved Felix’s hand from Annette’s waist to the small of her back. Then, she took Annette’s hand from Felix’s shoulder, draping it over his shoulder to rest between his shoulder blades. 

After Dorothea’s adjustments, Felix realized that Annette was significantly closer. He could feel her breathing, and make out every freckle on her face. He felt his heart beating in his chest and was grateful he had heeded Sylvain’s advice to wear something presentable.

“If you’re with someone special to you, this form would be the better way to go. For today, we’ll focus on the standard form, but we’ll come back to this at the end.” Dorothea grinned while she waited for Felix and Annette to resume the first stance she had shown them. Once they were ready, she taught them the basic steps of a waltz and slow dance.

“Ow!” Felix let go of Annette’s hand and stepped back, eyes widening as she stepped down hard on his toes. “Did I do something to make you mad?” 

“Nonono I’m sorry, I’m just such a klutz! I can’t get it right at all!” Annette buried her face in her hands, but not before Felix saw tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

“It’s fine. Let’s try again.” Felix reached out for her hand. He wasn’t thrilled to be here but if he was going to be doing this, he would do it right. “Are you willing to try something with me?” 

Annette peeked through her fingers at him. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s just something I saw my brother do a long time ago with Ingrid. If you’re gonna step on my toes anyway there’s no reason not to do this.” She finally took his hand, her look of panic being replaced by one of confusion. “Just stand on my feet and I’ll do the dancing. At least we can learn the steps this way.”

Annette’s eyes lit up. “Really? That would be sooooo helpful! Thanks Felix!” He looked to the side to avoid Annette’s eyes, and Dorothea mouthed the words ‘nice one’ and winked at him. After a moment, they resumed learning the steps. 

“Alright, that’s not looking too bad! You’ll each have to practice on your own over the next couple days, but you’ll be ready in time for the ball! We have a few minutes left, so if you’d like I can show you some of the more intimate postures.” 

Dorothea didn’t wait for an answer. She took both of Felix’s hands and placed them on Annette’s waist, then had Annette lock her fingers together on the back of Felix’s neck. “This is great for holding a conversation while you dance. Eye contact is easy to maintain, and you’re close enough that you don’t have to raise your voice, but not so close that you can’t play it off if someone asks you about it later.”

Next, Dorothea made Felix hug Annette. He started to object, but she glared at him with surprising ferocity, and he decided to keep his mouth shut. Annette’s head rested comfortably on his chest, and her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. She must have been able to hear how quickly his heart was beating, but she said nothing about it. 

“This doesn’t leave much room for dancing, but if you just want to enjoy each other’s company in silence, it’s the best way to go. It’s perfect for friends, budding relationships, and lovers.”

“That’s great, Dorothea, but I don’t think we’ll need these intimate poses.” Annette finally spoke up. “I probably won’t dance much anyway.”

“Why not?” Annette looked up, surprised at Felix’s question. “I mean, it’s a ball. Does Ashe not like to dance?”

“Oh, no it’s not that. Just…” She rested her head on Felix’s chest again. “I’m not exactly going as his date. There’s someone else I think he would rather dance with, so I’ll probably just sit on the side with Mercie.”

Felix hadn’t hugged anyone for a long time, but he instinctively held Annette tighter when he heard the sadness in her voice. “If he doesn’t want to dance with you, why not find someone who does?”

“Who would want to dance with a klutz like me?” Annette looked up at him, tears in her eyes. It was an innocent question, but Felix got the feeling that if he answered wrong she might end up crying and hating him again. For some reason, he actually wanted this girl not to hate him.

“I don’t think it was that bad. By the end, you were even doing the waltz on your own feet without stepping on mine.” Felix held Annette’s gaze for a moment, then she buried her face in his chest. His face felt hot, and he was beginning to wonder if the problem was with him, and not the building’s cooling system.

“I’ll give you a minute if you want, but I do have another couple coming in soon.” Dorothea said, her smile apparent in her voice. 

“Oh! No, it’s ok.” Annette quickly let go of Felix and stepped out of his embrace. “I should be going anyway, Mercie is meeting me to do some shopping. Thanks so much Dorothea! This was a lot of fun. And Felix…” She looked at him for a moment, then turned and walked to the door. “Thanks.”

____________________________________________________________________________

“Hey, man. How’d the dance lesson go? Did they find the reservation I made you?” Sylvain was waiting for Felix in the training grounds with a big grin on his face. 

Felix said nothing as he approached his friend. Then he raised a fist and swung, stopping just short of the redhead’s face.

“If you ever pull some stupid stunt like that again I won’t stop.” He snarled, leaning in so his face was only an inch away from Sylvain’s. Sylvain shrugged unapologetically. “The dance lesson was fine, damn room was hot though. You could have warned me Dorothea was going to be the one teaching me, too.”

Sylvain’s jaw dropped. “Whaaaaaaat? Dorothea was there? Oh man, I had no idea!” He cried, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Felix ignored him and walked to the nearest dummy to make up the training he had missed. After a few moments, Sylvain spoke again. “Are you gonna tell me about your dance partner or do I need to start pulling teeth?”

“I’ll tell you if you’ll spar with me seriously for once.” Felix lopped the head off of the dummy in front of him, then sheathed his weapon and turned to face Sylvain. “You get a hit, I answer a question. What do you say?”

“Aw come on, Felix. You know I can hardly land a hit on you.” Sylvain whined, but he picked up a training lance from the weapon rack and grabbed a sword for Felix to use instead of the one he kept on his waist at all times. “Will you give me three free questions if I don’t land a single hit?”

“Fine, as long as you actually try.” Sylvain nodded, then tossed Felix the training sword. The two boys approached each other silently, eyeing each other as opponents and looking for openings. Felix was impressed at how seriously Sylvain was taking this. Maybe he would have to get out more often to give Sylvain a reason to seriously spar with him.

Finally, Sylvain charged at Felix. The redhead planted his right foot in the ground five feet from Felix, then leapt forward, spinning in the air to swipe his lance at Felix’s torso. Felix did a backflip, avoiding Sylvain’s weapon by a narrow margin. He landed smiling, then began his counter attack.

The boys spun their weapons, blocking and dodging each other’s attacks, landing only a handful of hits, speeding up as they got looser and further into the fight. They weren’t speaking, only grunting and occasionally yelling when they thought they had an opening. After several minutes, Sylvain backed off to catch his breath. Felix waited for Sylvain’s guard to be down, then dashed in and flipped the weapon from his friend’s hands.

“I win.” Felix said smugly, panting as he pointed the tip of his sword at Sylvain’s chest. Sylvain laughed wryly, raising his hands above his head and shrugging his shoulders.

“I told you I didn’t stand a chance. How many hits did I land anyway?”

“Five. As promised, you will get five questions about my lesson this evening.” Felix prepared himself for the inevitable first question.

“So, who ended up being your dance partner?” Sylvain said as he fell to the ground, exhausted.

“Annette.” Felix said, sitting with only a little more grace than Sylvain had managed.

Sylvain raised an eyebrow “From class?” Felix curtly nodded, then held up three fingers. “Dammit, that doesn’t count. Obviously I was just clarifying the first question.”

“Ask your next three, and if I’m feeling generous I’ll give you that one back.” Felix said. Sylvain frowned for a moment before continuing.

“Fine. Did you have a good time?” Felix tilted his head, wondering if there was some trap in the question.

“I became reaccustomed to the dances I had forgotten, and then came back. The room, as I mentioned, was too hot, but otherwise it was not a wholly unpleasant experience.”

Sylvain nodded, then smiled. “Did you like dancing with Annette?” Felix glared at his friend, but remained silent. He had been asking himself that question since he left the dance studio.

“I… did. She was a good partner. Her height is a good match for mine, and she picked up on the steps quickly enough with some help. She had a pleasant smell and soft hands, which made the experience more enjoyable.” Felix caught himself, but the damage was done. Sylvain’s eyes were wide, and he jumped up. 

“Do you -”

“No.”

“Felix I have one more question.”

“I don’t care!” Felix cut him off, “I know what you’re going to ask and I will not answer.”

“So, you do like her.” Sylvain was beaming and Felix realized there was no avoiding it. “Do you think you’ll see her again outside of class?”

“Why would I waste my time on something like that? Yes, I had a pleasant time with her and did not consider it as much a waste as I had expected. That means nothing. I still have too much training to do. And you would do well to keep this to yourself, or I’ll-”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll strangle me with a bowstring and strap me to a horse before you send it into a canyon. I know. Look, I know I make fun of you for it, but if you want any real advice, just say the word.”

“Whatever. I’m going to shower.”

____________________________________________________________________________

“He’s still a villain, Mercie!”

After they had finished shopping, Mercedes had come to Annette’s room to talk about the dance lesson.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh, Annie? It sounds like you had a really good time.” Annette hated when Mercedes made sense. Felix was a bully, how could she have had a good time with him?

“It doesn’t matter. I probably won’t see him at the ball or anywhere except for the classroom anymore, even if I wanted to.” Annette blushed when Mercedes raised an eyebrow in her direction. “W-which of course, I don’t want to see him again. Because he’s evil.”

Mercedes sighed, then stood up and took Annette’s hands in her own. “Annie, I love you. But you need to stop lying to yourself. You had a nice time with Felix, and in the end he didn’t insult you. In fact, it almost sounds like he would dance with you again!”

“T-that doesn’t matter! I’m going to the ball with Ashe. Felix is going with Ingrid. It doesn’t matter if I like him or hate him, we’re not going together and that’s all there is to it.” Annette was surprised to hear disappointment in her own voice. Sure, the dance had been nice, and she liked how his arms had felt so protective around her at the end, but that didn’t mean she liked him. 

“Well, you have a point. Speaking of Ashe, you need to pick out your dress so you can coordinate! It’s time for a fashion show!” Annette squealed and jumped with excitement. 

“Oh, ok so I got this really pretty dress in town the other day, and it’s bright red with a low back and an uneven hemline. I was thinking I could wear it with a black ribbon and maybe add some blue sequins to it so it shines a little when the light hits it, what do you think?” Annette started ruffling through her closet to pull out the dress she was talking about.

“Oohhh, was it the one in the window display? I remember seeing that, when did you-” Mercedes gasped when Annette finally produced the dress she was looking for and held it against herself. “Oh, Annie, it’s beautiful! Do you have shoes to wear with it? I might have some you can borrow if you need to.”

“I actually picked up a pair of heels when I bought this dress! They’re one-inch heels, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get used to but it’ll still give me a little boost.” Annette twirled with the dress and Mercedes cheered. “You really like it?”

“Of course! If we’re going to get these sequins sewn in, we'd better get to work!” Mercedes put a determined look on her face, then both girls started laughing as Annette laid out the dress to put the finishing touches on it.

____________________________________________________________________________

“They really went all out, didn’t they?” Ingrid said as she arrived at the ball with Felix. “Thanks again for coming with me. I know this isn’t what you want to be doing right now.”

“Nonsense. Like I said, I owe you an apology for my abrasive behavior the other day.” Felix dug his hands into his pockets, scanning the room. Banners hung from the walls and ceiling, depicting images of Sothis and Saint Seiros. There were tables at each side of the room with various snacks, drinks, and a few games.

Across the room from where they had entered, Felix saw a live orchestra setting up. He sighed, remembering his dance lesson a few days prior. The way Annette had held onto him, the look in her eyes when she said she probably wouldn’t even be dancing. After a moment, he realized Ingrid had asked him a question. 

“Felix? Are you alright?” Ingrid stepped forward, her brow furrowed with concern.

“I’m fine.” He said, trying not to snap at her as he pushed her hand away. “I was just thinking.”

“Well, that’s a rare occurrence.” Ingrid smiled at him, and despite himself Felix smiled back. He enjoyed Ingrid’s company for a lot of reasons, when she wasn’t scolding him for being rude or improper. “Shall we get some punch and say hello to the others?”

Felix sighed. “The punch, yes. I’d prefer to avoid the others as much as possible. I agreed to come here with you, not them.”

“We’ll only say hi. Then, we can go do our own thing. Maybe we can talk for a while.” Felix glared at Ingrid, prompting her to laugh at his expression. “Fine, we can figure it out later. For now, let’s go.

As Felix and Ingrid approached the punch bowl at the East end of the hall, Ashe was pouring Annette a glass on the West end. “Thanks, Ashe.” Annette said as he handed her the cup. The punch was orange, and sparkled in the lights dancing around the room. 

“Of course, it’s my pleasure. Thanks again for accompanying me tonight.” He blushed slightly. “Your dress is lovely by the way. Did you add the sequins yourself?”

“I did! Oh no, is it noticeable? I tried to make it look nice.” Annette pouted as she looked down at her dress. She had spread the sequins out so that most of the dress was the same as when she had purchased it, however along the hems and scattered across the body of the fabric, light sparkled off of the alterations she had made.

“Oh, no it looks wonderful! I only recognized the dress from the display in one of the shops in town. It looks much better on you than it did on the display though.” Ashe looked away, embarrassed. Annette blushed this time, then took a drink of her punch.

“Thank you. You look nice tonight as well!” Annette had been pleasantly surprised when Ashe arrived at her door wearing a red dress shirt with a blue vest and tie that complemented the colors on her dress perfectly. 

“Ah, thank you.” Ashe chuckled nervously. “It looks like most of the students have arrived, shall we go and greet the others?” Annette nodded, then put her hand on the inside of Ashe’s elbow and allowed him to escort her to their friends.

“Annie! Oh the dress came out so wonderfully! And Ashe, you look so nice!” Mercedes clasped her hands to her heart, and Ashe and Annette both turned red enough to match their attire. 

“Mercie, please! You’re embarrassing us.” Mercedes laughed at Annette’s protests, but refrained from teasing them any further. The rest of their class slowly made their way over, until only Felix and Ingrid were absent from the group. 

“Where do you think Felix and Ingrid are?” Ashe asked, looking around the ballroom. Sylvain shrugged, then his eyes widened as he looked to the far end of the room.

“Uhhhhh, I think I found them.” Sylvain murmured, waving at Felix and Ingrid from across the room.

“I guess we have to go say hi now, don’t we.” Felix grumbled, but he chuckled as Ingrid playfully smacked his arm. “Alright, alright. Shall I escort you then, as a proper Fraldarius would do?”

“Why, I should expect nothing less.” Ingrid allowed Felix to take her hand as they crossed the room toward their friends. 

“Felix! Look at you, all cleaned up. Where’d you get the clothes?” Felix looked down at his clothes, a black shirt with a blue vest and black pants. The vest was decorated with two white roses on each side

“Oh, my father gave them to me when I left for the academy. I never pulled them out until Ingrid told me I needed to dress nice.” Felix ran his fingers through his hair, pulling a few loose strands out of his eyes. “I don’t see why it’s so surprising. I may hate dressing up like this, but that doesn't mean I can't do it."

“Yeah, but… Ugh just forget it. Mercedes, do you wanna go dance?” Sylvain extended a hand to Mercedes, who giggled as she accepted the invitation, turning to wink at Annette over her shoulder. Several students from each class started making their way onto the dance floor while others filled in spaces at tables set up around the perimeter where they could talk and eat.

“I suppose you’ll want to sit down somewhere, Felix?” Ingrid asked. Felix thought he heard some disappointment in her voice. He studied her face, and while she was smiling, her eyes betrayed a desire to do something else. 

“Well, I did tell you I would come to the ball with you. What’s the point of going to a ball if you’re not going to dance?” Ingrid looked at him, mouth slightly open. “Don’t expect this to be a normal occurrence, but if you want to dance, I’m willing. We can talk there anyway.”

Felix turned and began to walk away before Ingrid even had the chance to answer. She smiled at Annette and Ashe, then ran to catch up to Felix, taking his arm and following him to the main floor.

“Well, looks like everyone else is gone.” Annette turned to Ashe, then realized he was staring with a pained expression in Ingrid and Felix’s direction. “Ashe? Is everything ok?”

“Huh? Oh! Y-yeah, it’s fine.” He chuckled nervously, then held a hand out to Annette. “Do you want to dance too?” 

“I do, but…” Annette glanced at his outstretched hand. “Ashe, who did you want to be here with tonight?” 

Ashe let his hand drop. “I’m sorry. I want to be here with you, I’m having a good time and I’m happy we’re good enough friends to come together. It’s not fair to you that I’m getting so distracted.”

“In all that, you managed to avoid my question.” Annette frowned at him, then put her hands on her hips. “Don’t make me lecture you like Seteth would.”

The corners of Ashe’s lips turned up slightly. “You’re right. I… I wanted to ask Ingrid. I’m just nervous, we’ve become good friends recently but I don’t know if she wants to take that next step with me or not.”

“How are you ever going to know what she wants if you don’t ask her?” Annette looked in Ingrid and Felix’s direction, suddenly aware of how beautiful Ingrid was. Of course Ashe would want to be here with her. Who wouldn’t?

“That’s true. I’ll think about it, but for now I want to dance with you, Annette.” Annette looked at Ashe with what must have been a very surprised expression because he began to laugh. “I asked you to come here with me didn’t I? Come on, let’s go.”

Annette and Ashe made their way to the dance floor as an energetic dance ended and Annette recognized a waltz beginning. “Oh, perfect! I’ve been practicing this one, are you ready?”

“Of course!” Ashe smiled, and they faced each other, assuming the comfortable position Dorothea had taught Annette the other day. Ashe’s hand rested on her waist as hers floated on his shoulder, but it was somehow less comfortable than it had been when she danced with Felix. Not bad, exactly, just different.

“I’ve never been to a ball before.” Ashe said, laughing nervously. “It’s so fancy here, definitely different than what I grew up with.” 

“I know what you mean. I didn’t know such pretty banners existed, and the lights here are beautiful!” Annette looked up at the lights, letting her eyes wander all around the room until they rested on a boy wearing a black shirt with a dark blue vest.

When Felix noticed Annette looking at him, he tried to focus his attention on Ingrid. Her silver dress really was beautiful, and someone had clearly helped her put on make-up and do her hair. “You look nice, Ingrid.”

Ingrid blushed. “Where is this coming from? Don’t tell me it only took one night for the great Felix Fraldarius to fall in love with me.” Felix chuckled, looking her in the eye.

“It would take a lot more than that to win me over.” He glanced in Annette’s direction again, but she and Ashe had been lost behind a sea of other couples enjoying the slow dance.

“Say, Felix. Do you have feelings for anyone?” Ingrid asked quietly. Felix returned his attention to her.

“No. Why do you ask?” Felix saw doubt in Ingrid’s eyes for a moment. 

She frowned at him.

“Felix, I know I give you a hard time and lecture you, but I do care about you,” Ingrid mumbled, pulling him closer so they could speak more privately. “ You can tell me about this stuff.” She gripped his hand a little tighter, attempting to convey the earnestness with which she was speaking.

“If I liked someone, I would tell you. I don’t like anyone though.” As Felix and Ingrid turned with the music, Annette and Ashe appeared behind Ingrid. The two dancing parties’ paths crossed, and then Annette watched Felix and Ingrid disappear again. 

“Have you given any more thought to the idea of asking Ingrid to dance? I mean, I like dancing with you, and I’m happy I came with you, but if you want to dance with her you should go for it!” Annette said as the song was nearing it’s final measures. 

“I… I think I will. I’ll come back if she says no, of course.” Ashe decided, determination filling his eyes. The orchestra finished playing, and the students bowed to their dance partners. Then, several pairs left the dance floor while others trickled on. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck!” Annette called as Ashe walked away. She tried to sound excited for him, and she did hope that Ingrid would dance with him. But her heart ached with jealousy as she watched him walk toward Ingrid and Felix. No one would ever want to dance with her like that. She was just a friend, an afterthought. 

When Ashe asked Ingrid to dance with him, Felix was a little relieved. He had been enjoying his time with Ingrid, but this wasn’t exactly what he wanted to be doing. “We’ll talk more later, ok?” Ingrid said, and he nodded his confirmation. 

Now that Ingrid had a different dance partner, Felix was getting anxious in the crowded hall. He found the nearest exit and stepped out onto the terrace. As he leaned on the railing, he took a deep breath of cool air.

“I take it she said yes to dancing with Ashe then?” Felix turned his head to the source of the voice. Annette was sitting on a bench behind him, hidden away where no one would notice. Her dress sparkled in the moonlight, her hair had been straightened, and she was easily more beautiful tonight than Felix had ever seen her. Not that he thought she was beautiful in the first place. 

Still, something seemed wrong. “Yeah. He looked pretty serious when he asked so she told me I could sit out a couple dances as long as I don’t leave without telling her." As he was talking, Felix realized what was wrong. Annette was sniffling. “Did something happen?”

“What?” Annette blinked as she processed Felix's question, then grinned sheepishly “Oh, no I’m just feeling kinda lonely” She mumbled, scratching her crimson cheeks. “I was really excited when Ashe asked me to come here with him, even when I knew he didn’t really want to be here with me. But when he walked away to ask Ingrid to dance I secretly hoped she would say no. Is that bad?” Annette looked at Felix the same way she had when they had danced together. What was it about those eyes that made him so soft?

Felix sighed as he turned away from the rail he had been leaning on and strolled to the bench. “If Ashe had stayed with you, you know you would have felt bad all night that he couldn’t take his chance with Ingrid.” Felix sat next to her, stretching his legs out and leaning back on the wall behind them. “Besides, why are you so upset at getting a chance to get away from all those people? It’s so stuffy in there.”

“Don’t you feel betrayed at all? I know you didn’t go to that dance lesson just to kill time. Doesn’t it feel like a waste? Like you’re not wanted? Like you’re just the backup until someone better came along?” Tears pooled in Annette’s eyes as she looked desperately to Felix for some kind of answer.

"See, that’s your problem. You think of Ingrid as ‘someone better’ that showed up. That’s not the case at all,” Annette opened her mouth to argue, but Felix spoke over her. “Ingrid is someone different, sure. But being different doesn't mean she's better or you're not as good. I don’t worry about someone better coming along because I know I’m the best, and only, Felix Fraldarius. Just like you’re the best and only Annette Dominic.” 

Annette was quiet for a moment. She sniffled loudly and wiped away the tears from her cheeks before finally smiling. “That almost sounded like a compliment, Felix.” 

“I’m not a total barbarian, you know.” He shrugged, looking back at the sky. “I just prefer nights like this where I can be alone. A starry sky, a full moon, a cool breeze. Normally I would be training about now, but enjoying the night sky isn’t a bad way to spend time."

“It really is beautiful out here.” Felix glanced at Annette. The light of the moon was reflected in her eyes as she stared at the sky. A smile had returned to her face, and her hand touched his on the bench, but if she noticed the contact she didn’t show it.

“Yeah…” Felix stared at her for a couple more seconds. He slowly stood up. “You were right about one thing, Annette.”

“Oh?” Annette looked at him, startled by his sudden movement.

“I would feel like my time was wasted if I didn’t share at least one more dance with someone.” Felix extended a hand to Annette. She looked at him, trying to decide if he was joking. “Well, I’m not going back in there. Too many people. Besides, like I said. I prefer being under the stars.”

Annette took his hand, and together they took several paces away from the doorway. The music poured out of the ballroom, soft and slow. Annette quickly wrapped her arms around Felix, burying her head in his chest. “Thank you, Felix.”

Felix said nothing in return. He simply squeezed Annette gently, but firmly in his own arms. They stayed out there together, sharing a silent dance with no witnesses except for the moon and stars.


End file.
